Chapter Text
The aftermath of the ongoing war in the capital city of Garlemald was a gruesome sight to behold. It was the night the Empire launched their secret weapon out of desperation. The sky darkened with smoke rising from nearby buildings. The moon shone brightly with a red hue across its surface. Eerie red light highlighted the piles of pale lifeless bodies on the ground, mouths and eyes gaped as if the victim died in a state of shock; the result of the deadly gas specially engineered by the Garlean Empire, The Black Rose. The deadly gas that kills whoever breathes it by halting their aether to a standstill.
Rosa Invicta, Eorzea's last known Warrior of Light, was sent to the frontline to deal the finishing blow to the cornered Garlean Empire. Little did she know, the Empire had meticulously hidden a deadly weapon with such devastating effect to the environment it’s released to. The victims fell to the effect of the gas, propped on the ground, not knowing this would be the end of their lives.
The 8th Umbral Calamity had begun, and Rosa was on the losing side.
Hear... Think... Feel...
Her body was trembling with pain and anguish. Hydaelyn's voice rang loudly in her head. She wondered what went wrong. One night she was celebrating with people she considered her allies. Now, their still warm bodies lay motionless on the ground; the same expression of shock and disbelief plastered on their face.
She pulled her rapier off the body of an Empire soldier, quickly flicking it aside to rid of the excess blood.
"I hear you." Her trembling figure stilled. "Do you hear me?”
Her eyebrows furrowed, sorrow laced her voice. “This world is dying, but all I feel is bitterness and I loathe the world I was supposed to save." Her anger rose as she thought of the life she lived. All those years she spent making the same mistakes of believing she was something she wasn't. All the injustice carved on her body, the pain and scars in her heart and mind. Can she truly save the world where she couldn’t even save herself?
The screaming had long died down. There was only silence left, with the occasional sound of fire cracking in the distance. Rosa was desperate for answers, but there was only silence ahead of her. Everything around her seemed dim and cold. It felt frozen by contrast.
Rosa clutched her chest. "I've never truly felt what happiness is. Everything I had was taken away from me and I had nothing left to give. Not even with the power you gave me. It was foolish of me to believe that I’m strong enough for this.” She dropped her rapier down; its point sinked into the ground.
“I never had anything meaningful in my life. Not even this precious world of yours. This world means nothing to me." She said, dropping on her knees, clutching the hilt of her rapier. Her shoulders heaving, as she tried to hold back her tears.
"Please take my life. Take it for whatever it's worth, or make me understand. Make me understand why I have to give everything I have.” The dark smoke from The Black Rose inched closer, she had nowhere to run.
She gritted her teeth. Her eyes looked desperate for a second. Her voice barely a whisper.
“The choice is yours .”
Accepting her fate, she closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. She suddenly felt like her lungs were on fire, and everything went white. She could hear Hydaelyn's voice echoed at the back of her mind.
...Feel...
Through her closed eyelids, Rosa sensed lights, moving at great speed. She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't.
It felt cold and heavy. She couldn't move her limbs and she couldn’t breathe. Slowly, she felt the vast emptiness as the lights faded, and with a sharp tug, she felt like her body was pulled away at great speed. Am I dead?
She heard strange voices from all around her. It sounded like some people talking, another shouting, but she couldn't make out any of it. She felt her consciousness slipping away. Coldness embraced her body, and once again, everything faded into a bright light.
~
Cleigne, Lucis
Rosa felt the sun's warmth on her skin. Her eyes were still closed. Her breathing, steady. The first thing she heard was the distant hums of some sort of machinery. The birds chirped merrily. She moved her fingers, expecting the linen on her bed. Instead, she found the familiar texture of grass on her fingertips.
Her eyes flashed opened, and she immediately sat up. Her eyes darted left and right. Where am I?
She scanned her surroundings and found herself in the middle of a vast grass field. In the distance, she found electric pylons with unfamiliar machinery hanging on its line. There were signs of wildlife activities, far from where she sat. She closed her eyes and tuned herself with her surroundings. She sensed the aether around her, thrumming with familiar energy.
I can feel the aether, but I don’t recognize the surroundings. She opened her eyes and placed her hands on her knees. Her expression was pensive.
There's no way this is The Source I know. Rosa stood up and patted her pants. She still had her clothes on. Most of them were dirty and smeared, but otherwise intact. Her rapier was still fastened on her belt. Her red shoulder cape billowed as the wind picked up slightly. She patted her belt satchel and took her enchanted bag out before she started her usual inventory check. Everything was accounted for. How long have I been unconscious? She tied the enchanted bag and stuffed it back in her belt satchel.
Well, I guess time to find out. She sighed quietly and made her way toward the electric pylon she saw earlier. Underneath the pylon, she found a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length brown hair, parted in the center, in the middle of descending the ladder with her tool bag hanging from her shoulder. She wore some kind of suit which was something Rosa had never seen before. The pattern and colors were definitely alien to her.
"Hello." Rosa greeted the woman.
The woman jumped slightly when she heard her. "Oh, hi. Sorry I didn't expect anyone to be here other than me. Anything I can help you with?" She landed on the ground with a thump from her boots.
Rosa felt a little at ease, knowing at least they spoke the same language.
"I’m Rosa." She smiled, a professional smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Hello, Rosa. I'm Holly." The woman introduced herself.
"Hello, Holly. I seem to be lost. I don't know where I am. Can you tell me where I am?"
The woman named Holly eyed her up and down. "Eh, you sure don't look like you're from here. Judging from your outfit, and interesting choice of weapon." She gestured at Rosa's rapier. “Although your accent does sound familiar. I definitely know someone who has a similar accent to yours, but I doubt you are related.”
Rosa glanced at her rapier. Its smooth gilded metal etched with intricate engravings around the hilt. The red crystal on the focus fastened beside it glowing dimly. She didn’t respond.
“Alright, I won’t prod. To answer your questions, we're in a region named Cleigne. Part of a kingdom named Lucis. There's a town nearby, Lestallum. Have you ever heard about any I mentioned above?"
Rosa shook her head. "No. I don't even know why I'm here. I woke up and found myself there, laying on the grass." She pointed at the spot where she regained her consciousness.
Holly's eyes widened. "There? I swear I saw a flash of light beamed from the sky right around that spot you pointed at. I was working on the cables up there when I saw it. I was about to go check it myself." The look of concern on her face. "You seem to know your name and are in good shape. Dirty, yes, considering the strange way you arrived, but otherwise everything seems to be in order." She wiped a bead of sweat on her brow.
Rosa looked down to the ground. She hesitated to acknowledge her own outfit that was dirty and smeared with soil, ash, and tiny splotches that are undoubtedly the color of dried blood. She placed her hands in the pockets of her red pants and let her shoulder cape fall into place, covering her left arm and part of her rapier. "That makes sense." Rosa lifted her head and squinted, scanning the grass field again.
"Pardon?" Holly raised her eyebrow.
"Judging from the name of the region and kingdom you mentioned earlier, I'm convinced I'm not from this world either.” Rosa said, turning her head slowly to look at Holly directly into her eyes.
Holly cocked her hips, a lopsided grin on her lips. "Well, Astrals be damned. That is one theory the girls back home are going to go crazy about. Are you sure you're not just some illegal immigrant?"
Rosa gestured at her clothes with her right hand. "Do I look like one?”
"No, you certainly don't. I was just joking." She smiled before pursing her lips and stared at the rapier again. "That weapon, though. It's probably passable as royal weapons, judging from the intricate details. Though the design is definitely unfamiliar and I've never seen anything quite like it. Not many people use rapiers as weapons of choice, not especially hunters. Not as efficient as other choices of weapons regulated around here." Holly rubbed her chin while trying to observe the exposed parts of the rapier. She didn’t make a move to touch it, whatsoever.
Rosa just stood there, observing the woman who was trying to take a good look at her weapon. "You can ask me questions. Questions I might have answers for. For now, I just need some place to clean up, eat, and rest. Maybe some shopping is in order as well."
Holly nodded and started walking away from her. "Well then, let's go. I parked my truck over there. I'll drive you there."
Rosa followed the brunette before she stopped abruptly.
"Holly. If I may ask… What’s the currency of this place? I just need to confirm if I have enough."
Holly stopped her tracks and turned toward Rosa. "It's Gil. Don't worry, if you don't have any, I can cover your bills in exchange for your stories and information. I believe you have plenty to tell me." She winked.
Rosa pulled her enchanted bag and fished out some change. "Gil? You mean, this?" She tossed a coin to Holly.
Holly snatched the coin and eyed the object on her palm. "Oh. You even got the money exchanged already? Did you do it on your way to this world? That was some excellent service they got there."
Rosa hummed upon hearing her replies before smiling professionally. "Let's get out of here first, yes?"
Holly tossed the coin back to Rosa. She dropped the coin back into her bag and did a quick counting before stuffing it in her satchel and resumed her track.
295,479,610 Gil in stash.